Fortunately for all of us Grillo is becoming a more popular wine. Best known in Italy, (there is some belief it originated here, but that is not conclusive) imports to the US are up and that makes for a great new wine to discover if you’re not familiar with wines from the Sicily region of Italy. This wine offers soft lemon-lime resin, lychee, light papaya, with back and supporting notes of stone fruit, melon and mineralogy.

This is a blend of 55% Grenache, 24% Mourvèdre, 13% Syrah, and 8% Counoise.  No doubt in a few years this merits a 100 score.  Right now, it is very young, and although amazing, it needs time to come together.  Inky purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black cherries, black pepper, and floral notes.  Full bodied.  This wine is a bruiser!  Medium tannins.  Great balance.  On the palate, gobs of black raspberries, black cherries with some black pepper and nice underlying minerality.  Long finish.  No harm drinking now but another five years of cellaring

It had been a while since I tasted this.  At age 17, it is still youthful and vibrant!  This bottle had been purchased from a Napa retailer relatively recently.  A blend of 71% Syrah, 20% Mourvedre, and 10% Grenache.  Inky purple in color, starting to show just a hint of browning at the rim.  The nose has black raspberries, bacon fat, white pepper, with roasted meats and herbs.  Great texture; soft but explicit if that makes sense.  Light on its  feet.  On the palate, black raspberries, black pepper, slight salinity, and crushed rock.  Long finish.  Complex and delicious.  This is drinking

Another stunning Syrah from this winery!  Syrahs from Washington are unique.  They really show the terroir.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, burnt rubber, black olives, smoked meats and spice.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  Great balance.  On the palate, black raspberries, crushed rocks, and black pepper.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This has a certain elegance in it not often found in new world Syrah.  No harm opening now, but it should continue to mature and maybe even get better.  Great on its own, this would work really well wit

Sadly, Shiraz from Australia has gone a bit out of style, but there are still some damn good ones.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black olives and black pepper.  Full bodied.  Nice texture.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this seems just a bit shy of maturity.  Lots of black raspberry fruit, some coffee and black pepper.  Long finish.  While this is a big wine, it is not an ooze monster at all.  Drink over the next fifteen years.  This is great on its own and will work well with Lamb Stew.

Wow.  Stunning wine.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with coffee, cassis, blueberries, spice and graphite.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  This is a really big wine, but it has that lightness and deftness that belie its size.  Great velvety texture.  On the palate, cassis, coffee, blueberries and spice.  Long finish.  Delicious.  It is still young and will no doubt be a 100 point wine in a few years.  No harm opening now, but waiting three or four years will be rewarded.  Drink over the next twenty years.  It will need big food to match with such as Standing Rib R

This is a riper Cab especially for 2012.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, baking spices, char, and slight blueberries.  Full bodied.  Tannic.  Great balance and texture.  On the palate coffee and cassis with underlying char.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This is drinking well now but should continue to mature.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  A nice match with Filet Mignon.

There’s a certain comfort in knowing that when you open a Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc, regardless of vintage, it will always be excellent. I have had many vintages of this wine and the consistency of its excellence is borderline improbable – and yet they nail it year after year. The ’21 offers that beautiful crisp nose of lemon meringue, lime kefir, honeysuckle, guava and red delicious apple. That follows through on the palate along with light plum, crème brulee, toasted brioche and Asian pear.

Great showing for this wine.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, black olives, smoke and spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Great texture.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Black raspberries, black cherries, slight chocolate, spice and slight underlying forest floor.  Not yet at peak but getting there.  A slight bitter cherry note on the finish is interesting.  This is great on its own and very food friendly for heavier foods.  This would go great with Lamb Chops but also grilled Portobellos.  Drink over the next fifteen years.  

This is a blend of 42% Cabernet Franc, 42% Merlot, and 16% Cabernet Sauvignon.  Impressive showing.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is tight at first but opens to show black cherries, cherries, chocolate, and brown tobacco.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Wonderful velvety texture.  On the palate, this is delicious with black cherries, iodine, blueberries and crushed leaves.  Complex.  Still not fully mature but getting there.  Long finish.  No harm opening now, but another five to eight years and this might get a 100 score.  Great on its own, it will take big food right